Nacht ohne Zeugen

Originaltitel: Pendulum

1969
16
1 Std. 46 Min.

IMDb-BEWERTUNG

IHRE BEWERTUNG

Als Polizeichef Frank Matthews beschuldigt wird, seine ehebrecherische Frau und ihren Geliebten ermordet zu haben, entkommt er der Verhaftung und macht sich auf die Suche nach dem Mörder.Als Polizeichef Frank Matthews beschuldigt wird, seine ehebrecherische Frau und ihren Geliebten ermordet zu haben, entkommt er der Verhaftung und macht sich auf die Suche nach dem Mörder.Als Polizeichef Frank Matthews beschuldigt wird, seine ehebrecherische Frau und ihren Geliebten ermordet zu haben, entkommt er der Verhaftung und macht sich auf die Suche nach dem Mörder.

Siehe Produktionsinformationen bei IMDbPro

IMDb-BEWERTUNG

6,2/10

837

IHRE BEWERTUNG

Siehe Produktionsinformationen bei IMDbPro

Auszeichnungen
- 1 Nominierung insgesamt

Wissenswertes
During location filming in Washington, DC, Martin Luther King was assassinated. The resulting riots in the capital caused the shooting company to wrap early and return to Los Angeles. Visible in the rear window of the cab during Jean Seberg's ride through the city, buildings are burning and smoke is obvious.

Patzer
In the opening sequence, under the main titles, the taxicab starts out as a 1964 Plymouth. Upon arrival at its destination, the car has changed to a 1968 Plymouth.

Zitate
Judge Kinsella: On your last appearance before me, Mr. Sanderson, it was my unpleasant duty to sentence you to death in the electric chair. Now, the duty I have before me now is in some respects even more unpleasant. I have no quarrel with the principle of law involved, it's a good and wise application of our constitutional guarantees, but in this case, it results in turning loose upon society a degraded and immoral person.
Judge Kinsella: [he continues] There's no doubt that in the first half of the twentieth century, we - and I mean the press and the public as well as the courts - had looked the other way as our police, in the name of law and order, showed a patent disregard for individual liberties as guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. But it seems now that the pendulum is swinging a little too far the other way.
[sighs heavily]
Judge Kinsella: Well there is hope; gravity will bring it to rest at some point where the interests of both individual liberty and the community as a whole are best served. Motion is granted.

Verbindungen
Referenced in Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the '70s (2012)

Soundtracks
The Pendulum Swings Both Ways
Music by Walter Scharf
Lyrics by Mack David
Sung by The Lettermen (as The Letterman)

Benutzerrezensionen21

Rezension

Ausgewählte Rezension

9/10

A heck of a good cop film...definitely underrated.

I had never heard of "Pendulum" before and as shocked how good the movie was. It's definitely among the best films of the 1960s even though it's a rather obscure movie.

George Peppard stars as Captain Matthews...a decorated cop who recently arrested a murderous psychopath. However, two things happen that will become important. First, Matthews' wife is cheating on him and he is beginning to suspect the truth. Second, due to a technicality, the psychopath has been released even though everyone knows he is guilty. How do these two things work together to REALLY impact on the Captain? See the film.

George Peppard is really good here. The other actor who was a major standout is Robert Lyons as the psychotic murderer and rapist. He's quite smug and chilling! Now one part of the film MIGHT seem like a cliche that isn't is when the Captain escapes from custody after he's arrested (yes, he ends up being arrested for a double murder). Normally, this is a bad plot element...the notion of an innocent man escaping in order to prove he's not guilty. Here it's handled well...as it's obvious that for political reasons the Captain is assumed to be guilty and the cops aren't even considering other options. In a case like this, you can understand Matthews' actions.

Overall, a very exciting, taut and suspenseful film...well worth seeing because it is so intelligently made from start to finish. So good, I nearly gave this one a 10....and I almost never do that!